Researchers have created
a glass coating for solar panels that allows it to absorb light from many
angles and repels dust. The coating consists of fused-silica packaging glass
with nanorod structures and honeycomb-shaped nanowalls.

The Boys Town village near Omaha, Neb., is getting replacements
for hail-damaged terra cotta roof tiles on 27 buildings for $3.1 million.
Renaissance Roofing is performing the repairs using handmade tiles shipped from
Turkey. The contractor specializes in historic buildings.

The Environmental
Protection Agency has recognized New York's Tompkins County as a Green Power
Partner thanks in part to its use of rooftop solar. The county generates more
than 84,000 kilowatt hours of green electricity each year with a 147-kilowatt
solar photovoltaic system on its library. Other initiatives include installing
solar panels on almost all county facilities and becoming a leader for the state
in installed solar capacity.

Arched roof trusses were
recently put into place on North Dakota State University's new Aquatic Center.
The $11 million project is close to being completed. The facility, which is
nearly enclosed now, is set to open next summer.

The 2016 Dodge
Construction Outlook estimates that commercial construction will increase 11%
next year, compared with a 4% increase this year. Multifamily housing, which
was up 18% this year, will fall back, likely increasing a more modest 7%.
Construction of religious buildings was up 2.3% this year and could increase
3.2% next year, according to the report. However, construction of manufacturing
plants will likely decline, while public works projects will be little changed. From NRCA Trenton H. CotneyFlorida Bar Certified
Construction LawyerTrent Cotney, P.A.407 N. Howard AvenueSuite 100Tampa, FL 33606www.trentcotney.com

William Niendorff, an
alumnus of the University of Texas at Austin, is researching ball moss as a
potential green roof material. "One of the greatest things about [the
plants] is that they don't need soil at all, which means that if you're using
them for a type of green wall or green roof, you don't have to worry about that
extra weight on the structure," Niendorff said.

Eighty-three
construction projects in Boston worth $7 billion are changing the city. The
work signals a demographic shift, as populations move to the core of the city.
Projects include apartment buildings, retail space and hotels.

The Akron, Ohio,
Department of Planning and Urban Development announced an emergency roofing
repair program that will provide grants and deferred loans to residents with
leaky roofs. Homeowners can use the funds for roofing, sheeting, downspouts and
gutters if they qualify. From NRCA Trenton H. CotneyFlorida Bar Certified
Construction LawyerTrent Cotney, P.A.407 N. Howard AvenueSuite 100Tampa, FL 33606www.trentcotney.com

Construction crews are
continuing work on the retractable roof over the USTA Billie Jean King National
Tennis Center's Arthur Ashe Stadium in Flushing, N.Y. These photos capture the
project from a variety of vantage points. The roof should be completed in 2016.

Over
the last 18 years, the value added by the private construction industry as a
percentage of real (inflation-adjusted) national gross domestic product
declined from a high of 6.17% in 1997 to a low of 3.66% in 2014 (the latest
year for which annual data are available). Prior to 2014, the previous low
percentage of GDP for the construction industry was 3.7% in 2011, inching up to
3.77% in 2012 and 2013 as both economic and construction activity increased.
Although not included in these figures, the U.S. economy also benefits from
purchases related to construction projects, such as equipment for a new
factory, furniture for an office or residential property, and appliances for
commercial and residential units. These additional purchases add at least 2-3%
to the impact of the construction industry on the economy.

Black Rock Congressional
Church in Fairfield, Conn., received a 132 kW solar installation on its new
building. The installation has 418 ReneSola panels and 104 Hanwha panels on
Ecofoot 2 racking. The racking was selected for its flexibility in tilt angle.
Four Solectria string inverters were installed to protect the system in the
event of a single point of failure. From NRCA Trenton H. CotneyFlorida Bar Certified
Construction LawyerTrent Cotney, P.A.407 N. Howard AvenueSuite 100Tampa, FL 33606www.trentcotney.com

Bordner Installation
Group of Raytown, Mo., will install a free roof for Tami Dickerson after she
received more than 50% of the votes in a No Roof Left Behind contest. Bordner
also secured local companies to help with gutter cleaning and tree trimming.
Dickerson suffers from a rare immune disorder that made it financially
difficult to get a new roof for her home.

Forecasters have
predicted a wet winter for the San Francisco area, prompting a surge in
property owners seeking roof work in advance of the rain. R.E. Roofing is
fielding three times its typical number of service requests. However,
"there's not enough workforce to get to all the jobs when the calls come
in, it's such a large amount," said Yale Proctor of R.E. Roofing. From NRCA Trenton H. CotneyFlorida Bar Certified
Construction LawyerTrent Cotney, P.A.407 N. Howard AvenueSuite 100Tampa, FL 33606www.trentcotney.com

Method, a cleaning
products company, will soon have the world's largest rooftop greenhouse on one
of its factories. The 75,000-square-foot greenhouse is expected to produce 1
million pounds of greens annually.

The Randolph County
Courthouse in West Virginia will receive about $25,000 in repairs to its clay
tile roof this fall. The structure has missing tiles and water damage on
interior walls. "The general condition of the roof itself is not bad, but
if we don't do something and do something quickly, it could deteriorate to the
point that it causes us major problems," said Mike Taylor, Randolph County
Commission president.

St. Mary of the
Assumption Church in Lancaster, Ohio, will get a new slate roof for the first
time in 150 years, requiring 17,400 pieces of slate. The original steel nails
are now rusted, and there are also problems with the roof's ridges and copper
flashing. Rogers Roofing of Westerville, Ohio, will install about 56 tons of
slate for about $336,000.

Recent business
developments in the solar industry are signaling high value to investors.
"One (rooftop solar company) priced in the middle of its range and another
sold for $2.2 billion. Things are very good in residential solar," said
Shayle Kann, an analyst at GTM Research. Kann said there are about 16 million
homes that could use solar and are owned by people with high credit scores. So
far, about 700,000 systems have been installed.

The Rankin School
District in Illinois is replacing a 60-year-old metal roof with red
colonial-colored steel and is also replacing two flat roofs. The flat roofs
will get 1-inch-thick Styrofoam insulation before a rubber membrane is applied.

William Cahill, a master
thatcher, has found a niche offering U.K.-style thatched roofs for residential
and commercial clients in the U.S. Cahill has done work at the St. Francis of
Assisi Chapel at Kinstone in Fountain City, Wis., and the Chicago Botanic
Garden. From NRCA Trenton H. CotneyFlorida Bar Certified
Construction LawyerTrent Cotney, P.A.407 N. Howard AvenueSuite 100Tampa, FL 33606www.trentcotney.com

Redwood Valley High
School in Minnesota is getting a new roof for $3.7 million. The roof will have
layers of rubber and insulation that range from 4 inches to roughly a foot. The
gymnasium will require an additional layer consisting of thin sheets of
fireproofing.

An oculus mock-up roof
was installed on New Atlanta Stadium, being built in Atlanta, to test the
exterior roofing and glazing. "It includes metal framing, the support
metal panels themselves, a section of glass and will also include a section of
the ETFE, (which stands for) the exterior material," according to a report
from the stadium. "This allows the many different parties on site to have
a chance to see not only the visual component, but also how everything
connects."

Nonresidential
construction could reach $360 billion this year, an increase of 8.9%
year-over-year, according to the Consensus Construction Forecast from the
American Institute of Architects. The group predicts that could rise further --
to nearly $390 billion in 2016. Manufacturing, hotel and office building are
contributing significantly to the increase.

Japan has decided
against a retractable roof for its National Stadium because of rising cost
estimates. The government is expected to opt for a fixed roof instead. From NRCA Trenton H. CotneyFlorida Bar Certified
Construction LawyerTrent Cotney, P.A.407 N. Howard AvenueSuite 100Tampa, FL 33606www.trentcotney.com

Excess heat and humidity
can speed the aging of roofing materials, but this can be offset with the installation
of a power vent in the attic. The use of aluminized roof coatings can help
reflect the sun while renewing oils and sealing cracks. It can also be a good
idea to replace asphalt rolled roofing with membrane roofing, which is more
weather resistant.

NRCA
has made available NRCA Guidelines for Rooftop-mounted Photovoltaic Systems,
2015 edition, which contains NRCA's latest best practices for
rooftop-mounted photovoltaic (PV) systems, including applicable code
requirements. It also includes figures graphically depicting building code
requirements and illustrating proper PV system installation.

NRCA programs to advance
rooftop solar include certifications, technical programs and best practices for
installation. Meanwhile, solar equipment manufacturers are making improvements
to simplify installation. This piece offers several considerations for rooftop
solar installations, such as minimal roof-surface contact.

Great Lakes Roofing
hopes to build a 13,278-square-foot facility for its new headquarters in
Menomonee Falls, Wis. The building would house 13 corporate staffers and 30
field employees. The village's architectural control board is considering the
design of the proposed two-story building. From NRCA

Recent rain in the
northern section of California's San Luis Obispo County revealed roof problems
exacerbated by maintenance lapses during the ongoing drought. "A lot of
people when it's not raining -- in a drought like we have been -- they wait
till the last minute. So we've had people calling us saying their whole living
room is flooded, house is flooded, drips in the kitchen, all kinds of different
things," said William Duggins of Mid State Roofing. From NRCA Trenton H. CotneyFlorida Bar Certified
Construction LawyerTrent Cotney, P.A.407 N. Howard AvenueSuite 100Tampa, FL 33606www.trentcotney.com

With the cost of solar
panels falling, reducing the "soft costs" associated with
installation is a critical priority for solar companies. New mounting systems
could help reduce the time and money needed for rooftop installations. For
example, a PV mounting system from QuickMount does away with long rails, which
reduces the amount of bolts that must be drilled into roofs.

The Glen Rose School
District in Texas is installing a $620,568 Duro-Last Roofing System to address
roof damage at the high school and junior high. The roof repairs will be
performed by DK Haney Roofing. After the repairs, the roofs will have a 20-year
warranty. From NRCA Trenton H. CotneyFlorida Bar Certified
Construction LawyerTrent Cotney, P.A.407 N. Howard AvenueSuite 100Tampa, FL 33606www.trentcotney.com